Southern California -- this just in

Man charged with murder after wife's body found in SUV at casino

A 60-year-old man was charged with murder Wednesday in the death of his wife, whose body was found in the back of her SUV at a Hawaiian Gardens casino, prosecutors said.

Tomas Infante, of West Covina, was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Pomona Superior Court, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

The body of Charito Tolentino, 57, was discovered Sunday in an abandoned SUV parked at the Hawaiian Gardens Casino, authorities said. Prosecutors said she died from blunt force trauma and "stabbing type injuries."

Infante reported his wife missing Saturday evening to
the West Covina Police Department, sheriff's Lt. John Corina said in an earlier
statement. Tolentino, who worked as a nurse, got off work Friday morning and
didn’t return home, Infante said at the time.

Deputies told The Times they believe Infante killed Tolentino at their home, put her body
in the back of the car and abandoned it at the casino. Family members discovered the red Toyota RAV4 as they searched for her at various locations.

Infante was arrested Monday after authorities served a search warrant at the couple's home, prosecutors said. If convicted, the district attorney's office said, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.